Dive Brief:

• Ace Hardware is testing an Express Delivery service that offers same-day delivery of items ordered at acehardware.com before 1:00 p.m. local time.
• The company launched the pilot program at 33 stores in Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Maryland, Texas, and Arizona last month. 
• The program is an extension of Ace’s In-Store Pickup program, which allows customers to buy online and pickup in more than 1,600 stores nationwide.

Dive Insight:

Ace Hardware is testing an Express Delivery service that offers customers same-day delivery of eligible items ordered online. The pilot program launched Jan. 26 in 33 store location in Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Maryland, Texas and Arizona, offering same-day delivery to customers within five miles of a participating Ace when they order by 1:00 p.m. local time for a $5 fee.  

“With 4,400 stores stocking the most locally relevant product assortments, Ace has a unique opportunity to become a big player in the same-day delivery landscape,” says John Surane, executive vice president of Marketing, Merchandising, and Sales for Ace.

“About 61% of consumers across the country live within five miles of their neighborhood Ace, and that proximity to the household sets us apart. The Ace Hardware brand has always been synonymous with helpful and excellent customer service, so Express Delivery from your local Ace store represents a perfect extension of our brand."

As more retailers begin to offer this type of on-demand service, it will be interesting to see if same-day delivery becomes more of an expectation for all companies. If so, retailers should be looking at their back-end operations, and fast, to see if they can successfully fulfill consumers' wants and needs.